Matosinhos Grilled Fish

Matosinhos is Porto's fishing port, and the street behind the harbour, Rua Heróis de França, is lined with restaurants that grill on the pavement - charcoal grills set outside the door, smoke going down the street, and the day's fish cooked whole with nothing on it but coarse salt and, afterwards, olive oil. What is grilled depends on what came in: sardines from June to September when they are fat, robalo, dourada, sea bream, red mullet, horse mackerel, sole, and polvo, octopus, either grilled or done à lagareiro with oil and garlic. It comes with boiled potatoes, salad and not much else, because the fish is the dish. Prices are by weight and the fish is shown to you before cooking. It is not decorated or dressed up, and the restaurants range from very plain to expensive without much change in method.

What you actually see

• The pavement grills - charcoal set outside the doors along the street.
• The fish - whole, salted, and nothing else on it until the oil afterwards.
• The sardine season - June to September, when they carry enough fat to grill well.
• The pricing - by weight, with the fish shown before it goes on the coals.

When to go

Year-round; sardines specifically from June to September. A meal, at lunch or evening. Book at weekends, when the street fills.

Honest expectations

Priced by weight, so a large fish costs considerably more than the menu suggests - ask before agreeing. Whole fish arrives with head and bones. Heavy smoke along the street. The best places are plain and busy rather than smart.

Nearby

The Piscina das Marés is up the coast at Leça; Porto is eight kilometres east.